Abstract
According to K Brodmann, the cerebral cortex was derived from a six layered structure and continues to illustrate these distinct regions. In layer V of the neocortex, it has been observed that sub-types of pyramidal neurons show a variance in cell morphology, projections and physiology (Hattox and Nelson, 2007). One such property is cell adaptation. Adapting neurons decrease their firing rate during constant current injection while non-adapting neurons do not. This property may be a result of potassium ion currents that build up during continuous firing by the neurons. KCNV1 is an auxiliary potassium channel sub-unit expressed in adapting sub-types, but not in the non-adapting sub-types and so is hypothesized to play a role in determining cell adaptation. This study involves the use of the CRISPR Cas 9 gene editing system to construct knock-out models for KCNV1 in post mitotic neurons of the mouse neocortex to enable investigation of KCNV1 and its importance in determining firing properties.